Sports and Sporty Cars of the '80s

guss

They also had a turbo available with a funky hood scoop. Also a convertible version that was pretty slow with the additional weight .

I always liked the simplicity of the '79 to '85 models over the '86 to '91. The last generation was sweet , but nobody over 6 feet could fit in them. The price also had climbed into Corvette territory.

nippononly

"This seems to happen a lot with Supras and MR2s also"

'86-92 Supras and S/C MR2s had head gasket problems acknowledged by Toyota in a silent replacement campaign and extended warranty...unfortunately, those remedies happened too late for many of the cars out there, which is why so many have new engines in them. Me, I try to avoid any car where someone has replaced the engine with a "low-mileage used one from Japan".

Of the 80s sporty cars that I ever owned, and even though I am a big Toy/Hon fan, my favorite ever by a goodly margin was my '88 RX-7 GSL. God, I love the way that rotary spins up, and back then those cars were real light too, with great handling.

But geez, does that rotary ever require a lot of attention and a lot of GAS. Not a practical car to own, that's for sure, but kicked butt over the Supras (MkII and III), Celicas, and CRX/Civic SIs I have owned. I dream all the time about getting myself an RX-8, but the 18 mpg I am sure I would get stops me every time. Not to mention the cockpit is almost no bigger than the 90s RX-7s, ie impossible for anyone who is not jockey-size to be comfortable in.

With the advent of drifting, there is now a market for any leftover RWD coupes that remain from the 80s, before the marketwide rush to FWD ran its course. This has led to some ridiculous listings I have seen recently, like beaten-up, junked-out AE86 Corollas (from around '85) listing at $4000 or more.

More tempting to me (but at half the price) was a pristine '85 Supra I saw listed recently with around 60K miles IIRC, listing at $13K or something? This thing was a multiple show winner and it was plausible that the car was in as good a condition as the ad stated ("right off the showroom floor, blah blah blah"), but as much as I love MkII Supras I would never pay that much, and neither I think would anyone else...

With 161 hp, pretty low weight, 4-wheel independent suspension, and a fairly short wheelbase, the last of the MkII Supras ('82-'85-1/2) were pretty fun to throw around. I had one I kept for many years, it was so fun. I wouldn't mind picking up one of the last series from the mid-90s, but people ask CRAZY money for those.

hpmctorque

You can buy '84-'89 generation Nissan 300 ZXs for little money these days. While Nissan doesn't enjoy the quality reputation of Toyota and Honda, the 300 ZX has quality components and good build quality. It's in comparably better than the '80s Sentra and Stanza, in terms of quality. My '88 has 176,000 miles, and it's been very low maintenance. I think this generation 300 ZX series is somewhat undervalued.

kyfdx

Didn't the MkII Supras have inline six-cylinders? Gotta like that...

I used to think my friend's '84 was a screamer... But, he got married in the later '80s, and told me his wife's Saab 900 turbo convertible with a slushbox was faster.. :surprise:

That was my all time favorite Supra..

On another note, I spotted an early '90s Supra Turbo with the big wing the other day... Only see about one of those per year..

Mr_Shiftright

Those Supra Turbos suffer many indignities, that's true.

nippononly

Yeah, all the Supras had inline-6s, and in fact the last Supra we saw in America used an evolved version of the engine from the generation before it that also ended up in the first IS300 we got here. It finally got retired when the model turnover occurred for the IS, because it was too smoggy to meet new emissions standards by that time. I think that was the last inline-6 used anywhere in the Toy/Lex line.

I didn't get really turned on to the 300ZX until the new model came out in 1990, but by the time I could afford one they weren't making them any more.

And used ones don't fare well - the seats are always in tatters, and that metal-look center stack always has half the markings faded or rubbed off, along with the silver paint. I have never liked the design of the center stacks in the Z cars, from about 1980 on. Garish, might be the word I would use. Now my '75 Z car had a cool stack, what there was of it, it being 1975 and all (very little in the way of available in-car entertainment, very basic HVAC setup).

hpmctorque

Interesting comments from a current article in a publication which I probably shouldn't mention on Edmunds...

"Cheaper than the 911, cooler than the 924, less Middle Age Crazy than the 928, Porsche's 944 was the ticket for upwardly mobile enthusiasts in the '80s. When it debuted here in 1983, folks put down $1,000 deposits to get on the waiting list.

Porsche traditionalists criticized the 944's 924 origins, its water-cooled/front-engine configuration and Volkswagen-derived architecture. But the 944 outsold the 911 nearly two to one from 1983 through 1989. The car was well received by the enthusiast press, and it is acknowledged today as a valuable piece of Porsche's history."

Mr_Shiftright

Tell you what...you take a well-sorted 944 Turbo out on the track, with the right tires and right driver, and you'll give a modern 911 fits.

hpmctorque

Do you fall into the camp of those who feel that while the 924 (not such a great car), 944 and 968, and the 928 were good cars, but not true Porsches, or do you agree with Porsche's decision to focus on rear engine architecture for its sports cars?

Porsche seems to be cash rich now, but I'm wondering whether dropping the 900- series sports cars, rather than continuing front and rear engine architectures wasn't more of a financial resources decision than a marketing one.

Mr_Shiftright

I don't see why they can't pursue cars of many configurations, if they wish to. The only company I can think of that survived on "purists" was Morgan. Even Ferrari has tried just about one of everything except of course FWD.

Personally, my favorite Porsches are the 993 (last of the air cooled), the 928 GTS (awesome car, even today), and 356SC (best of the bathtubs) and the lowly 914 (great fun for cheap).

So that rear engine, front engine and mid-engine.

hpmctorque

Dodge Daytonas and Chrysler Lasers are all but forgotten these days, and for good reason, many would say.

Why am I resurrecting the memory of this badge-engineered duo? Because I met one that fell at the extreme of the bell shaped curve, and that always fascinates me. To be specific, the car behind my '88 Nissan 300 ZX on a recent visit to the state emissions test station was a '85 Dodge Daytona (naturally aspirated with 5-speed). The owner of this Daytona and I struck up a conversation while we anxiously waited to see whether our old cars would pass. He told me that his wife had been badgering him for years to trade his Daytona for something newer. He's the original owner, incidentally. Anyhow, he was about to yield to his wife's wishes a few years ago, when he proposed to her that if his car failed to pass the emission test he'd get rid of it. Confident that the old clunker would soon fail the test, she agreed to her husband's proposal. Well, you guessed the ending; the Daytona passed the smog test, and the happy owner drove away smiling. I imagine his wife was much less happy when she heard the news, especially since this was about the third test the Daytona passed since she agreed to her husband's proposal.

The Z also passed, and its owner depressed the clutch, slipped it into first, and drove off happily too.

hpmctorque

" '80s dream-car bargains: The AutoWeek list:

1989 Corvette'84-'89 C4 Corvette

High: $44,000

Low: $2,500

Average: $10,018

Our take: Arguably the best buy on this list

'85-'89 Volkswagen GTI

High: $5,995

Low: $4,100

Average: $4,865

Our take: The iconic pocket rocket

'85-'89 Ford Mustang 5.0

High: $48,995

Low: $1,900

Average: $7,924

Our take: Pony car + V8 = tons of fun

'87-'89 Pontiac Firebird Formula

High: $22,900

Low: $4,000

Average: $10,293

Our take: One day, you might be able to show it at an Orphan Car Show

'84-'87 Buick Grand National

High: $31,700

Low: $9,000

Average: $17,442

Our take: If you can find a clean one for less than $20,000, buy it

'81-'82 DeLorean DMC-12

High: $26,900

Low: $15,998

Average: $22,572

Our take: Only on the market for a couple years; might always be a collectible

'81-'89 Lotus Esprit

High: $41,998

Low: $16,495

Average: $23,535

Our take: One of the fastest cars in its day

'88-'89 BMW M3

High: $65,000

Low: $14,500

Average: $24,417

Our take: A lot of thrills for the money

'83-'85 Ferrari 308 GTS

High: $44,950

Low: $32,900

Average: $37,878

Our take: A Ferrari for less than 40 grand? Believe it

'81-'89 Porsche 911 Turbo

High: $78,500

Low: $24,900

Average: $40,669

Our take: Be careful, these monsters are a handful!"

texases

Good list. Some of those 'high' prices are wacky - $65k for a M3? Doubt it. And why not the gen 1 GTI? That's what I'd get (if a decent one could be found).

Mr_Shiftright

Yes excellent list; however I'd just delete the Delorean as hopeless, as well as the Lotus Esprit. I mean, at least the other cars you could USE and hope to get somewhere.

It's also good to consider those cars for which there is a strong aftermarket. Not all on this list qualify in that regard but most do.

lemmer

No sense buying a mid '80s C4 when you can get a '90s model for a couple bills more.

Mr_Shiftright

Well C4s are REAL cheap right now....used Daewoo money.

But you'll have to put up with mechanical issues and parts falling off---it's part of the deal. I agree, I'd much rather have a C5, even with its big butt.

garv214

Very true. My 85 had only 19K original miles (purchased in 2004) but all of the build quality you would expect from a mid-80s GM product. Lots of bang for the buck though.

fintail

I am pretty sure quite a few interior bits on those were lifted from the Celebrity, just as many of the C5 interior bits looked like something from a rental grade Malibu.

Mr_Shiftright

Oh yeah....no BETTER bang for the buck anywhere right now on the market, the C4. As long as you don't need any "special" parts that are fitted only to C4 (pricey) you can buy off the shelf at Autozone. The only thing I could buy for my Porsche 928 at Autozone was tail light bulbs and windshield washer fluid.

oregonboy

You don't mean that you failed to use the Porsche factory authorized cyan washer fluid, available only through your dealer at 53.37 per liter?!

fintail

The washer fluid tubes are probably going to corrode and fall apart now :shades:

lemko

And the AutoZone washer fluid will rot the hi-tech space age wiper inserts available only at select Porsche dealerships at $253.50 each and come in their own velvet-lined mahogany cases.

Mr_Shiftright

Rather than buy the parts at the Porsche dealer, I just had them hand-cast in gold by European artisans and air-freighted back to me---it was cheaper that way.

Have you ever held a $130 sodium-filled exhaust valve in your hand?

kyfdx

When I owned a 911, I used to get Porsche after-market catalogs in the mail...

My wife was pregnant.. and, one day I was browsing a catalog.. A set of pistons for an engine rebuild was $3600!! Just the pistons... Figured if I had major engine problems, I was probably out $10K.. Pretty big dollars for a poor working man...

Son was born on Friday... by the next Saturday, the 911 went bye-bye...

Mr_Shiftright

A thorough rebuild on a 911 nowadays, by a well-qualified Porsche mechanic in California is about $12,500. But this engine should last 250K or more and will run like you won't believe.

You can use non-German parts but longevity will suffer.

Rebuilding a V-8 450SL or 560SL could top $16,000 but that's better than a Ferrari at $35,000 to $60,000 (for the newer ones)

kyfdx

yeah.. those weren't factory pistons, either..

Heck, I only paid $20K for the whole car!

Ah... to be young and single, again..

lemmer

How much for a top end rebuild on a 911?

Mr_Shiftright

Depends how far you go...if you can clean up the valves rather than replace them, that's a big savings. Also depends on which engine. On some engines, just taking the heads off without renewing the case studs is kinda risky...more like a "patch job" really. And on an OLDER Porsche, those studs can break when you twist them off for the first time in 30 years.

So maybe $2500--$5000, depending on a lot of things. You have to pull the engine and then it's one of those "while you're in there" sort of deals. Clutch? heater boxes? alternator? fan bushings? CV joints?